Pepperdine women defeat Pacific, 81-72, in West Coast Conference tournament

The Pepperdine women’s basketball team never trailed Thursday afternoon as the Waves beat Pacific, 81-72, to open the West Coast Conference tournament and advance to the quarterfinals.

The Waves got big games from freshmen Paige Fecske and Yasmine Robinson-Bacote, as well as a clutch performance from veteran Allie Green in the win. Pepperdine moves on to face top-seeded Brigham Young on Friday at noon in Las Vegas.

The Waves shot 49.1% and had four players score in double figures. Fecske led all scorers with 21 points, while Robinson-Bacote matched her season high with 18.

Hallie Eackles led Pacific with 18 points, but was just two for 10 from the three-point line. The Tigers shot 28.6% from beyond the arc, converting six of 21 three-point attempts.

Loyola Marymount 85, Portland 72: A hot start and a late final push sent the seventh-seeded Lions into the West Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals with a win over the 10th-seeded Portland Pilots.

The Lions move to 11-19 for the season; the Pilots’ season concluded at 3-27 overall. LMU advances to the tournament’s quarterfinals for the third time in four years under head Coach Charity Elliott. The Lions will face the second-seeded Saint Mary’s Gaels at 2 p.m.